“It’s not bad,” I said softly.
“This is beautiful,” he said, turning my hand over to inspect the tattoo that started at my wrist and went up the inside of my arm, almost to the elbow. It was a guitar, all blank ink, made out of F clefs and musical notes. “Show me the others. Introduce me.”
I sat up, to show him the blooming rose on my right shoulder, wrapped in thorny vines and buds that trailed down my arm. “I got this in Seattle. The sugar skull I had done in Portland, and these little stars,” I showed him the smattering of tiny black stars on my middle right finger, “were in San Diego. My second open act of rebellion against my father. The first was playing electric guitar. The second was this impossible-to-hide tattoo, especially when playing said electric guitar.”
Jonah laughed lightly as I snuggled back down against him.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“Nearly seven.” He pressed a soft kiss against my temple. “I have to go get some work done. Then tonight is Sunday dinner at my parents’ place.”
“Ah yes. I remember the first Sunday when Theo distinctly un-invited me to the family dinner.”
Jonah made a sound that might’ve been a laugh. “Well, I’m inviting you now. Can you come?”
I raised myself up on one elbow. He was so handsome, his dark hair against the white pillowcase. “You want me to meet your parents?”
He nodded and twisted a lock of my hair in his fingers. “I want them to meet you. Moreover, I don’t want to be apart from you any longer than necessary.”
“You’ve really got this pillow-talk down, don’t you?”
“I’ve been practicing, can you tell?”
“Very smooth.”
He silenced my laughter with kisses. God, even first thing in the morning he tasted so good. So clean. I broke away with a small sigh, rested my chin on his chest. “I’d love to meet your parents. Actually, I take that back—I’m nervous as hell to meet your parents, but I can’t go tonight. I had to take another gal’s shift at Caesar’s to cover the weekend. I’ll be slinging free booze in a toga from one o’clock until nine.”
“Next Sunday?”
“Next Sunday works,” I said. “It’ll give me a week to prepare myself. And a week for Theo to get used to the idea. Still not sure that he likes me. At all.”
Jonah wore a funny smile. “I think he likes you plenty.”
“He doesn’t show it well. And poor Holly—the way he just dumped her in the middle of the woods?”
“Yeah, that was shitty,” Jonah said. “One of the Big Feets might’ve grabbed her and taken her for a mate.”
“Oh aren’t your hilarious?” I bent to kiss him again, simply because I could. The kiss deepened and started to turn into something more, then Jonah’s watch alarm went off from the bedside table.
“Your meds,” I said, kissing around his mouth.
“Yeah, my meds.”
I threw on a long shirt and underwear, he put on sleep pants and a white undershirt. We went to the kitchen together, and he introduced me to his regimen.
He gave me the quick rundown of how to make his protein shake. He started swallowing one pill after another while I blended the powders and supplements. Soon, he had to grip the counter and breathe through a wave of nausea.
“Not sure what’s worse,” he said, his head hanging down. “When it comes or that I know it’s coming.”
I poured him a glass of water and rubbed his back.
This is real. This is what it means to be with him. .
A whisper in my mind told me I didn’t have the guts to handle anything worse. I swallowed it down, silenced the thought. I wanted to be with him. Not just swept up in an emotional moment under a starry sky, but breathing side-by-side with him through the nausea.
“Do you have other side effects?” I asked.
He nodded, taking a long sip of water. “Insatiable horniness.”
I snorted a laugh. “I noticed. What else?”
“The steroids cause excessive hair growth. Everywhere. I spend a good two hours a day shaving it all off.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“In fact, I’m glad you’re here,” he said. “My back has some real hard-to-reach places.”
“Smartass.” I rolled my eyes and kissed the tip of his nose. “C'mon, I’m being serious. Or trying to.”
“I have nausea, sometimes my ankles swell, but it doesn’t last.” He shrugged. “I don’t have too many other side-effects. I’m lucky in that respect.”
I nodded while he busied himself with making me coffee. I sat on a stool to drink it, right across from Jonah choking down his protein shake. Déjà vu. Minus the burnt-out hangover.
Jonah met my eyes. His smile stretched out warm, almost proud. “Look at you, here,” he said softly. “Just like before, but everything’s different.”
“Different better,” I said, and climbed halfway across the counter to kiss him.
“Wait—” he started to say but my kiss was faster.
I grimaced and sat back in my seat.